Search This Blog

Rain like Silver Silk

No time like the present. With Natasha's being handed her the torch, she knew that if she didn't act quickly, too much time would pass her focus would be taken away yet again by demands of the moment. So despite the myriad of responsibilities that were calling her name, she created a small window in which to address something that had haunted her since times had got too dangerous for her to enter.

The rain constantly fell from the sky, like moist, silver silk threads from clouds above. Ornate wrought iron balconies rose above her attached to their wet sandstone coloured facades. The black heavy door swung open and a woman's head peered round and beckoned her in out of the rain. Walking up the winding stairs, dozens of butterflies frozen in time, hung static and suspended by thread encased in glass.

Only days in the new city Natasha was still feeling disorientated. Had she been resting too long in her comfort zone perhaps, afraid to step out of her abstract perfect world, afraid that the imperfect realities of the word would shatter her to the core?

He was busy. She could wait. He darted and zigzagged across the room like flashes of lightening. His movements were so rapid that the action had been finished before anyone had noticed that he had started. He spoke quickly and softly, that invited a certain close proximity, yet at the same time, what he said revealed mostly astute factual analysis that simultaneously gave a sense of detachment to their meeting. This challenged Natasha's largely emotional response to her surroundings, especially in her disorientated state. However, instead of disliking this contrast, she welcomed his matter of fact approach, realising that she needed this kind of detached stance to compliment her largely subjective understanding of the project at hand. Similarly she felt that he appreciated her dreamy creativity that gave him the opportunity to put her cloud formation under microscopic analysis. By analyzing the shape, consistency and formation of droplets he was able to influence the way it change shaped as it moved across their collaborative sky of ideas.

Finally, after five hours exchanging ideas, they reached a nexus that created an arc-en-ciel in the sky. They paused to look at how colourful their ideas had become, before dashing back out into the city night rain.

Waking up to the syncopated pita-patter upon the slanted grey roof directly above her Natasha slowly came back into consciousness she remembered how she had been so awake with anticipation of hope at the possibilities that had been created from the meeting. She had almost been afraid to fall asleep in case that she would awake and it would have all been a silly dream. Instead she's stayed up listening to music and let her her mind wander down lanes that for so long she had marked and almost disgarded as part of her past dead ends. Now, warm and sleepy the feelings of joy and hope return to her despite the circumstances almost constant drilling of droplets upon tiles outside.

Natasha felt like she was going through an intense growth period. The little annoying things of daily life that used to constantly pester her just didn't bother her anymore. Her mind was occupied with far greater endeavors. Previously, it had taken all of her energy to get over these pesky and temporary ticks that had tripped her up on a daily basis and at every turn. Now, she didn't even notice if the room was too small or if she´d forgotten her toothpaste, or the coffee was bad, because all these were just temporary obstacles leading her to a larger goal. It is not like she had forgotten the details. Quite contrary, she had to pay attention to details now more than ever in order to reach goals that were greater than herself. It was as if her attention had shifted as she was able to discern more closely what details mattered and what details were just passing pests that weren’t worth her attention. Besides, she was used to finding her way round small spaces, after living in Tokyo for a year, she knew that there were some benefits to miniature living. Firstly you became more efficient and minimalist. You had to, otherwise you would drown in your own clutter. Secondly, it encouraged you to go out more and explore and being right in the heart of what was known to be one of the most romantic cities in the world. Sure it was a cliché, but this particular cliché that provided her with just enough of an illusion to see the contradictory nuances that were seeping through.

Comments

Popular Posts

He loved spontaneity. Schedules, time-tables, fixed
appointments, were all a bore to him. Having to deal with this tedium
in his working life, why arrange his personal life in such a fashion.
He`d been sent on an assignment in Frankfurt. Like lightening he
proceeded with his tasks, execution was easy, how slow people were, he
thought, they´ll catch up one day.
She was new to the city. Working at a tech start-up was demanding her
time, energy and thought. She had little pockets of relaxation, where
she delved into Stefan Zweig and wondered why she couldn`t not say no to
the countless tasks and people that always seemed to need her help.
She stretched herself way beyond her boundaries and regretted it later,
knowing that she had not enough time to look after herself.
This particular evening, she decided to go home and
finish off her work there. It was one of the few nights that I came back
home early enough to start having something to eat. Making herself a
quick s…

Kitty a naive, yet intelligent, middle class young woman is living in China. She lives in a colonial house with her family and at a dance meets clinical, astute MD bacteriologist who is on a research assignment in China. He falls instantly in love with her, knowing that she is spoiled, yet he senses something within her that has not yet had the chance to be free. Perhaps because of the constraints of her restricting environment. This leads her to dally pretentiously and mock others within the limitations that have been imposed upon her. Walter approaches Kitty and there is an awkward exchange, in which Walter asks her to marry him. Being taken aback at the sudden proposal she is not quite sure how to answer. Not yet knowing her own mind, she accepts and they live together in relative indifference to each other. They do not yet understand the unknown territory that is to be explored within themselves and between each other. Kitty, trying to stimulate conversation between them,…

Home is a place in your heart hidden deeply within Where love heals longing and you feel like you can begin Home is where you find friendships that are tonic for your soul Where the winds of kindness make you whole Home is where confusion lifts like mists of illusion Home is like a soft, warm blanket of cosiness Taking you gently fragment by fragment to forgiveness Home will take you here wherever you are Alighting you within your very own star